The most popular home treatment. Among the popular and most effective DIY home treatments for bed bugs is rubbing alcohol. You can dilute it and place it a spray bottle and simply spray the infested areas. The alcohol will kill bed bugs almost immediately.
Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them.
Steam – Bed bugs and their eggs die at 122°F (50°C). The high temperature of steam 212°F (100°C) immediately kills bed bugs. Apply steam slowly to the folds and tufts of mattresses, along with sofa seams, bed frames, and corners or edges where bed bugs may be hiding.
Diatomaceous earth kills bed bugs by acting as a desiccant, which means that it dries out what it comes into contact with. You'll be using diatomaceous earth as a barrier in areas you know bed bugs move around in.
They can be killed by using a powerful vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming can help you get rid of the bugs and their eggs at-a-go. Similarly, one can even try killing the bed bugs by using a steam cleaner. The high temperature produced by a steam cleaner will put both bugs and the eggs together.
Bed bugs are generally considered to be nocturnal and prefer to forage for a host and take a blood meal during the night. They also will come out in the daytime or at night when lights are on, in order to take a blood meal, especially if there were no human hosts in the structure for a while and they are hungry.
Bed bugs are easy to kill using heat. Their thermal death point is reported to be 114-115° F. Putting infested clothing in a hot dryer is an excellent way of killing bed bugs and their eggs.
Bed bugs do not typically hide on the body. They prefer to feed, then move back to their hiding place until they are hungry again.
The acidity of vinegar is potent enough to disrupt the insect's nervous system and kill it. Vinegar is often used as a contact type insecticide, which means that you need to spray it directly unto the spotted bed bug to make it effective. Vinegar offers short term and limited effects on your fight against bed bugs.
Toothpaste may help with bed bug bites temporarily, but it is not a reliable solution. The menthol and other soothing ingredients in toothpaste can alleviate itching and inflammation, but it won't get rid of bed bugs in your home. In fact, toothpaste can dry out the affected area and cause further irritation.
Vinegar is acetic acid, and it's very strong, which means direct contact will disrupt the nervous system of bed bugs to the degree that they will usually die. It's also fairly effective at keeping bed bugs away from their typical hideouts and sending them into hiding.
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that baking soda works to kill bed bugs. Baking soda is said to dehydrate bed bugs. While baking soda may kill off one or two bugs, it's rarely strong enough to get rid of an entire infestation.
Items that cannot be treated should be placed in a sealed plastic bag or storage container and left there for up to a year to ensure any active bugs are dead. Purchase protective covers that seal mattresses and box springs. With covers that seal, the bed bugs will get trapped inside and die. Vacuum after each use.
However, you can outsmart these pesky bugs by placing interceptor traps under the legs of your bed to trap the bed bugs. This is a great way to confirm that you have an infestation and keep the bugs off your bed until you can seek treatment.
Places with high turnover rates, such as hotels, motels, and Airbnb's are prime spots for picking up bed bugs. Not only could you bring home bed bugs from sleeping on the beds in these accommodations, but they can also find their way into your luggage if you put it on the bed or other furniture.
Rubbing Alcohol
Bed bugs are hard to deal with, but you can repel them by using rubbing alcohol. They hate the smell of alcohol and using it is an effective solution to your problem. The rubbing alcohol can dry out bed bugs bodies, which can eventually lead to their death.
Cleaning your mattress and other non-washable fabrics
Our Lysol® Disinfectant Spray kills 99.9% of the germs that are hanging around on your homes' soft furnishings. Its unique cap completely covers large areas without over wetting, making it great for soft surfaces such as your decorative cushions, mattress, sofa etc.
Small bloodstains from crushed bed bugs or dark brown spots from bed bug droppings may be evident on mattresses. Because bed bug nymphs shed their skin several times, “empty shells” may also be evident. Why don't people see bed bugs? Bed bugs are most active between midnight and 3 am.
Essential oils like cinnamon, lavender, peppermint, and tea tree are fantastic for preventing bed bug infestation! Make your spray bottle of these natural repellents. Simply combine water with 20 to 30 drops of any one essential oil into it.
You may be thinking, can you get bed bugs from not washing your sheets? No—bed bugs have absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness levels. However, washing your sheets regularly gives you the opportunity to look for and remove any possible bed bug infestations.
Can you kill bed bugs with hydrogen peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide can kill bed bugs on contact. However, it is not as lethal to bed bugs as other chemicals such as isopropyl alcohol. Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide also stains linens and clothing because it is a bleaching agent.